Noche Buena, Media Noche & 2 Funerals

This past year’s holidays is extra special coz it’ll be John Cisco’s first. Our parents have their own countdown, not of Christmas but their arrival in Manila; they haven’t been home in 6 months. Mom & Dad arrived from India on the 22^nd. With 5 kids in tow, an Aunt and 2 cousins, we proceeded to Duty Free. Needless to say, $$$ were spent on chocolates, grocery items, booze and ciggies.

As in the past 3 years, I have been in charge of planning and preparing Noche Buena and Media Noche. I was lazy this year; I practically duplicated the menus with one exception, the sauce for the pasta. Seafood Marinara for Noche Buena and a very spicy Puttanesca for Media Noche. Darn those red chilies! Note to self… Don’t believe Jamie Oliver all the time.

For the first time in years, we had fireworks. My dad has shied away from using them when we were still in school but this year I guess he was in a celebratory mood. Cisco was fortunately awake unlike the elder boys, Nino and Aris. He didn’t cry during the noisy barrage of fireworks but did started weeping when a Super Lolo blew 20 feet away.

On the 26^th we made an unscheduled, but necessary trip to Aliaga, Nueva Ecija to pay our last respects to Shiahong Terong. Shiaho is the Tagalog term for an uncle-in-law. In case you’re wondering, Inso is the term for aunt-in-law.

Shiaho died of prostate cancer. I’ll remember him as a simple, quiet and respectable man. He’s well regarded in the community and a lot of people will surely miss him. It was fortunate that all his children, except of Chuchie, were with him when he died. Chuchie arrived exactly 12 midnight on the 25^th, a very sad Christmas.

As you all probably know, Weddings and Funerals are the unofficial reunions of most clans/families. Such gatherings, specially in the provinces, bring together long lost relatives and friends together. Contact information, chit chats and most of often rumors are staples in such gatherings. This funeral is no exception.

This post’s title did say 2 funerals right? The other funeral happened before Christmas. It was the hottest topic of discussion among the elders. My late grandma’s half brother, Eseng Avila, the last elder remaining, died quietly a couple of hours after Shiaho. A handful of his relatives on our side knew about it, the rest, like our family knew about it after his funeral. I was sad because according to those who attended his funeral it was a pitiful service for such as wealthy man. About 40 people attended his funeral, if his wife has agreed to a longer wake or at least asked someone to contact relatives in Guimba and Aliaga, we could have paid our respects for the last time.

Lolo Eseng is a flamboyant and an effeminate man. Always well groomed and accessorized. You can see his jewelry a few yards away. He and Lolo Oniong are self made men. They made money from tailoring and haberdashery in their younger days. My Lola would impress us with their elite clientele that includes great actors such as Rogelio and Jaime Dela Rosa and Leopoldo Salcedo. After accumulating enough capital Lolo Eseng started a ranch and rice mill. To this day, the Avila Rice Mill along the Cabanatuan Highway is a landmark in the area.

Sometimes we wonder what could have been if he had actually adopted my mom as he intended when she was young. My Lola, a very proud woman, widowed at a young age would not hear of it and insisted on raising my mother alone. Over the years, Lolo Eseng has distanced himself from the Simbulan, Bondoc and Avila side of the family.

Long story short the relationship was acrimonious. The last time I saw Lolo Eseng was more than 3 years ago at a reunion my mom and dad organized. I guess we would have to content ourselves with that last encounter with him.

MF Now at World 6-4

Finally took out Kuppa on World 4, after about a month of trying! World 5 was a breeze since I've practiced on it during breaks when I was tired of playing World 4. World 5-1 was fun coz there are 4 1-ups everytime you play, so you can accumulate lives as much as you want, coz you'll be needing lots of them on 5-3.

On two occasions I had to rack up 34 lives to get ready for 5-3. Obviously I was unsuccessful on the first occasion but my patience paid off on the second one.

I was excited last night when I finally reached 6-4, I was looking forward to entering World 7. Alas after about an hour, I had to give up and deliberately kill Mario, a first!!! My right hand and fingers were numb and aching for holding down the shift and Z keys LOL and I was nowhere near in killing Kuppa.

I'll get him another time. That's for sure.